Travel Checklist for Swing Events
Posted by byron on 11.24.11 12:05PM under Competitions, Travelling to Swing Events
Are you going on your first trip to a swing event? Or have you finally realized that every single time, you forget something? After over a decade of travelling–whether to learn, to teach, to DJ, to perform, to compete, or just to have fun–I’ve collected a pretty extensive list of stuff to remember.
First, a few extra tips for travelling:
- If you travel a lot–say more than one weekend a month–it can be worth it not to completely unpack. I usually leave items in my suitcase that I’m not likely to need until the next time I travel.
- Get extras of everything. I like to have a travel toiletries bag with extra everything–toothpaste, a toothbrush, etc. In fact it’s useful to own a lot of extra socks and underwear.
- Cash, plastic, papers, and shoes. Remember that as long as you have travel documentation (eg. passport, visa, driver’s license etc.) and money (cash, credit card, debit card) you can probably buy just about anything else you might need, so those are the big priorities. Next is dance shoes, although you can buy those at most dance events.
I actually have separate checklists depending on whether I’m teaching, competing, bringing a performance team or just social dancing, but I’ve combined them and added items that don’t apply to me but have been problems for other dancers I’ve known.
Travel Checklist for Events
Planning for the Event – Months Before
- Decide: are you going to the Event?
- Volunteering: if want to volunteer, contact the organizers as early as possible.
- Teaching or DJing:
- Confirm contract details for Event. Get that stuff in writing.
- Confirm what classes you’re teaching at Event, and/or DJ slots. If they aren’t sure, make suggestions. It can help to have a ready-made list of “classes we like to teach.”
- Confirm details on private lessons (who arranges them, contact info, dancing area, schedule)
- Going to learn/social dance/compete:
- Contact teachers re privates at Event
- Book the hotel or arrange hosting with a local dancer
- Pay for the event by the early bird deadline
- Print & look at Event schedule
- Check travel documentation
- Is your passport going to expire close to the event? If it expires even as close as a week after the event, it’s time to renew it anyway.
- Are your travel Visas in order?
- Do you need to renew your driver’s license? Do you have outstanding tickets that could be a problem?
- Do you need to make any special arrangements with the organizers? Tell them… now.
- Get flights booked. If you’re teaching, make sure the organizers have your travel details and constraints, including where you’re leaving from (especially if you’re not leaving from your home city) and the earliest you can leave for the event, and the latest you can leave when it’s over. They should have this information as soon as possible, in writing, so there’s no confusion about expectations (eg. “but we thought you’d be able to teach a class Friday afternoon”).
Week Before Event
- Book a car for the event — Sometimes a good option even if you own a car. Seriously, book at least three days in advance. Check policies on mileage, going out of province/state, etc. Check if your own car insurance will insure you, or if you’ve got built-in protection on your credit card. If you pay attention to these details you can cut your costs to 1/3 of what they could be.
- Teaching:
- If you’ve asked for a deposit, make sure the money has arrived.
- Prepare classes for Event — (eg. if you’re working with a new teaching partner, or you’ve got new ideas for a class)
- Funds:
- Check your credit and debit cards: If you don’t keep a lot of money in your chequing account, make sure there’s enough available to your debit card for worst case scenarios. If you have a low credit limit, ensure the credit card has been paid off. Check your maximum daily withdrawal limits: in an emergency, $500 might not be enough.
- Get foreign currency if needed (esp. $USD for Canadians or $CAD for Americans travelling here).
Day before Event
- Do laundry
- Make lunch & dinner plans — Seeing old friends? Or coordinating with your travelling companions?
- Check the weather report.
- Pack:
- Dance Shoes: If you’re doing more than one style of dance (eg. Lindy/Bal/WCS/Hustle/Shag/Reggaeton Balboa) make sure you have the shoes you need. Also make sure you have any special competition/performance shoes.
- Driver’s license
- Passport
- Laptop (esp. if DJing)
- Other DJ equipment
- CD’s if you’re old school
- Y-Cables
- External Soundcard
- Earphones.
- Underwear — Two pairs per day away
- Socks — Two pairs per day away
- Jeans or casual pants
- Several undershirts (guys)
- Skirts/dresses for social dancing (girls)
- Competition pants/skirts/dresses
- Competition shirts
- Casual shirts (eg. T-Shirts)
- Sweaters/Hoodies
- Blazers and Vests
- Toiletries bag, including:
- Razor (electric or blade)
- Tooth brush
- Tooth paste
- Body wash
- Shampoo
- Comb/brushes
- Hair products
- Lint remover
- Pepto Bismol
- Vitamins
- Allergy medication
- Sewing kit, just in case.
- Advil
- Cold medication (for cooking meth on the go)
- Clothes steamer
- Foreign currency (eg. $USD)
- Team/hometown pride items
- Bathing suit
- Outdoor shoes
- Camera
- Belts – check you have the colours you need (eg. black, white, brown, etc.)
- Did someone ask you to bring something for them? Bastards. Anyhow, don’t forget that.
- Team Costumes - if you’re bringing costumes or anything for your team, make a list of the specific items.
- Clothes steamer–in particular if you’re doing a team performance, because it can be quicker than ironing for most wrinkles.
- A book–for the plane, or for downtime.
Tip for packing if you’re flying
Make sure to check baggage allowances. If possible, put your most important things in your carry-on. At the very least bring these things onto the plane:
- Toothbrush. (I have an extra one I keep separately in my carry-on, since my travel toiletries bag contains insanely dangerous items like nail clippers that need to be in checked baggage.)
- Extra pair of socks, underwear, and a shirt.
- Dance shoes.
The general rule for flying is that eventually, over time, your luggage will see more of the world than you do.
Before leaving for Event
- Driving: Print out map to Event, even if you have GPS. Or bring maps.
- Flying
- Make sure you have the address where you’re staying, ideally in writing.
- Check in online.
- If you’re travelling to the US, prepare to be violated by the TSA. It’s just their friendly way of saying “the US doesn’t tolerate visitors.”
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